Hot Topics:

Sports digest: Flip Saunders returns to Timberwolves bench

Associated Press

Posted:
06/05/2014 09:39:11 PM PDT

Updated:
06/05/2014 10:23:11 PM PDT

The Minnesota Timberwolves' best days came with Flip Saunders on the sideline.

Now that the organization is shrouded in uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of star forward Kevin Love, Saunders is returning to the bench to try to revive a franchise that hasn't made the playoffs in 10 years.

With the team's coaching search complicated by Love's status, the Timberwolves decided the best course of action was to have Saunders, who was hired last season as president of basketball operations, step in for a second stint as coach until the situation stabilized, Saunders said in a text message Thursday.

Saunders previously coached the Timberwolves from 1995-2005. He won 411 games in 10½ seasons in Minnesota and guided the Wolves to the only eight playoff appearances in franchise history, including the Western Conference finals in 2004. He has a career record of 638-526 in 16 seasons as an NBA head coach, a career that also includes stops in Detroit, where he coached the Pistons to three straight Eastern Conference finals, and Washington.

Bernie Bickerstaff was honored as the winner of the National Basketball Coaches Association's Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.

NFL

The Raiders have signed third-round draft pick Gabe Jackson, a guard from Mississippi State, the team announced.

Advertisement

Jackson is the last of the team's eight picks from May's draft to sign a contract.

Jackson started all 52 games over his four seasons at Mississippi State, where he was a two-time All-American and first-team All-Southeastern Conference pick.

An Indiana court has suspended Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay's driver's license for one year after his arrest for driving while intoxicated.

College

Kentucky gave coach John Calipari a seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension that will pay a base package of $6.5 million next season and $8 million over each of the final three seasons.

Soccer

Sao Paulo, the Brazilian city that will host the World Cup's opening match in a week, was thrown into transit chaos as subway and overland commuter train operators went on strike, putting at risk the only means that most soccer fans will have to reach the stadium.

The strike stranded many of the 3.5 million people who use Sao Paulo's public transport systems on an average weekday.

The station nearest the Itaquerao stadium that will host the Cup's opening match on June 12 was damaged by irate commuters who kicked down the metal barriers at two entryways.

Miscellany

The SaberCats placed quarterback Russ Michna on injured reserve. Michna left Saturday's game at Arizona in the first half with what coach Darren Arbet called an "upper body injury."

The team also announced that it has been assigned quarterback Dennis Havrilla (Mt. Diablo High-Concord) and offensive lineman Randy Richards.

Joe Kurrasch allowed one run over seven innings, and Chuckie Jones' two-run double highlighted a four-run fourth inning as the San Jose Giants beat the High Desert Mavericks 4-1 at Municipal Stadium. The Giants have won five in a row.

Kia Vaughn had 16 points and eight rebounds as the Washington Mystics beat the Connecticut Sun 74-66 in the WNBA.

Rookie Chiney Ogwumike from Stanford had 16 points and nine rebounds for Connecticut.

Sophia Young-Malcolm scored 18 points, hitting eight of her nine shots, to help the San Antonio Stars beat the New York Liberty 87-75.